An immersive and emotional story about loss, courage, joyful adventure, and the saving power of friendship.

Duncan Findlay is a 9-year-old American boy whose family shatters on their way to a new, wonderful life in Scotland. Suddenly poor and stranded in the seaside town of Santa Cruz, California, the Findlays struggle to survive.

Although bullied and humiliated for his poverty, Duncan's irrepressible spirit bonds him with a fascinating group of intrepid friends. When he savagely defends a tormented boy, it makes him a hero, and they become close.

Duncan's teen gang enjoys the dawning New Age of hippie and surfing culture. Their days are rich with humor, daring feats, and the pleasures of the paradisical town they call home.

But tragedy strikes, and Duncan goes too far, veering into reckless and sometimes criminal behavior. And then a shocking threat forces him and a friend to flee Santa Cruz for a distant refuge.

Their journey of body and soul triggers Duncan's coming-of-age, a soaring, swooping flight, taking the ultimate free-range teen toward a life-changing decision.